Counter-pressure bottling-machine for beer, mineral waters, and the like.



miv. WEBSTER s L. cw.. coulmrnmsm mmmqmcmng: Fon Bm, man mms; AND Y Hi-imam; rlpn'nvwe. 1o. 1907. 921,032.l Patented May 11; 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

, R. w. WEBSTER al I.. cHEw. com PRESSURE 36m@ MEI'H FR my WATERS, m TEE Im.

' APPLITIUH PILB AUG. 10, 1.901. gggg, .l l Patented May 11,1999.

4 SHEETS-snm z.

R. w. WEBSTER a; L. SHSW. 1

TLING MAGBINE FOB BEER, ma. WATERS commu; PRESSURE 30T im: 1.11m.

Piuonlox Hmm um. 10,1901.

comm` msm Bn R. w. WEBSTER & L. GHBW,

THING um lDB BEER, mil, WATERS, AED TEE LIKE.

APPLIGTIOI TILE!) ADE. 10. 1907.

Patented May 11, 1999.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

To all whom it moy'concem:

'UNrrED Strg-'urns rafranr onirica g RALPH Warne WEBSTER, or Lon DoN, AND Liscio cnEw. or sAxrLDY, ENGLAND,` Assiexoes l To H. J. wEs'r ND roMrANi', Lin 1TED," or sAxrLBY, ENoInND.

contaran-PRESSURE' BOWLING-momma Anon BEER, MINERAL WATERS, AND THE i Ne. 921,032.

" speeiaeetien o: Lettere resent,

Patented Mey 1 1, 1909.

Application led August 10, 1907. Serial No. 388,070.

Be a known theme, RALPH Wiwp WE1;- s'rEa and LEUIG CHEW, both subjects of the King of Greati- Britain, residing at Londonl and Saxilby, England, have invented newA and vuseful Impovements in Counter-Pressure Bottlingachines for Beer, Mineral WlVaters, andthe Like, of which the -following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in machines for -illing bottles, jars, and otherv like vessels, in which a' counter-pressure 1s created to enable beers, mineral Waters, and

the like,vhaving a natural or artificial condition or pressure, tobe bottled Without undue foaming or loss of condition.

Our inventiony is specially applicable to that description of bottle-iillin machine in which the bottles are lplaced one y one in the machine, are charge( and removed for corking or stop` ering, during the rotation of the machine, t iereby enabling the lplacing of empty bottles in position, the c arging of same, and the removal of charged bottles, to be carried on continuously.

In the accompanying tour sheets of drawings Figure 1 is a vertical section ofso much of a bottling machine as is necessary to illustrate our invention, the arranement of bottling device on the left hand side of the figure differing in certaindetails from that Ishown on the right hand of the gure; Fig. 2 is 'an enlarged section of the bottling device shown on the right hand side of Fig. 1, with other modications of the ap aratus; Fig. 3 is a similar View to Fi 2 o the bottling device.

shown on the left and sideof Fig. 1 Fi 4 is a similar vieviT to Figs. 2 yand 3 with furt ier modifications ofthe apparatus; Fig. 5 is a partial 1an view of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a detailv view oi a non-returnr valve shownalso in Figs. 4 and 5;andFigs. 7 and 8 are further detail views in connection with Fig. 4.

Similar characters denote like parts in all the cures of the drawings.

Re erring to the device illustrated on the right hand side of Fig. 1, and to a lar rer scale in Fig. 2, a is thebottle into which .t e pressure is admitted. by a tube b extending downward into the interior ofthe bottle to a convenient distance, and terminating at its `lower end ina `nozzle .c opening into' .the

bottle a. l

d is a tube for the supply of beer, mineral vWaters or the like (hereinafter xefcrredtoas a beer tube) surrounding the air pressure tube to (or formed in) the bottom of the beer, iniu- Y eral Water, or the like reservoir (hereinafter referred to as a beer reservoir h). This piston or plunger f may be attached `to `the beer tube d as shown in Fig. 2, or it maybe entirely separate therefrom as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. At the upper end of the )iston or plunger f is formed a difl'erentialiy acting valve jthe stem k of which is suitablyguided in a stullng-box l in the u i er art of the beer reservoir h as shown. t wi be understood that the ei'ective area ofthe u )per side of the valve j is less thanthat of t 1e lower side of the piston f owinfr to part of the upper sido being covered by the stem r. The upper end of the cylindrical chamber g above the piston or plunger f is capable of being opened to the eer reservoir h as hereinafter described, and annular, radial, and vertical passages 20, i, and 21 then communicate bctween the beer reservoir k and the annular space between the interior of the been-'tube d and the' exterior of the pressure tube b. The differentially actin valve is arranged to close the-upper enof the cylindrical chamberg during a certain iart ofthe rotation ol' the machine and there y prevent beer Howing into the bottle al This may be eected by any suitable fixed' device which does not rotate with the machine, and which aci-s at definite'. predetermined periods upon a rollermfcarrie( by the upper end of the valve stein k. Such a device is illustrated in Figs. l and '3 in 'which n. is a cam surface carried by a lixed bracket o, and the cam surface nI allow ,the latter to yield to a certain extentas the roller 1n engages therewith and thereby prevent undue ljar.

It will be understood that as the effective area of lthe underside of the iston or plu-nger f exceedsa that ol" the uper sidey of the valve j in the -event of the un erside ofthe piston or plunger f 'being subjected to the same or nearly the same pressure as that ofthe upper sideofr the valve the piston or plunger be causedtofrise and the valve y' be opened. .Consequently solong as there is no` bottle in4` osition, or if a leaky bottle is in position, or 1f the bottle breaks when subjected tothe pressure ofthe incoming air or gas, the valve.

y will be kept in the closed position b the superior pressure in the beer reservoir acting upon the upper surface of such valve, and no beer will be allowed to escape.

\ proximately the pressure in the beer reserf the yllezrible connection 1 to a special pjlug drawings) from the frame iU the machine, or

voir, the said pressure will ac tupon the uns;

derside of the piston orplung'er, which being as already stated of greater eiective area than the u per side of the valve j, will raise the said va ve and allow beer to ilow into the bottle. l The valve stem 7c may be hollow and form a passage from the pressure tube b through cock or valve mounted centrally at the top of the machine as shown, and rotating with the same. The plugs of this central cock is held stationary by fa fixed arm (not shown in the otherwise, and the gas or other pressure is introduced into such lug at fu, ironia gas botc m the shell or casing t of the said cock.

tle or any other desired source of suplply, and passes along the passages 'uw into t e port z 11 is a non-return valve in the pressure -assa e in the valve 'stem c for preventing oss o? pressure in the beer 4reservoir 71, when the nozzle c ofthe ressure tube b is open to the atmosphere, as or example when there is no bottle in position, or when a bottle breaks, or is faulty.

"lhe reservoir h is kept charged-with beer.'4

through the hollow-central revolvin stem y of the machine, and the desired leve of beer may be maintained in the said reservoir by ,any suitable means, suchA as, for example, either of the forms of pressure-rehef valve 2 4 allowing thebeer to'rise, the valves 2 then closing against their seatings 4 as soon as the normal level of beer is reached, thus stopping the reduction of pressure and consequently the inflow of beer. The orifices whlch are acted upon by the valves 2 may also be opened or closed by hand by operating the screw-down plugs 5 when required, as for example, on startlng the machine when it is 4 advisable to first create a pressure vin the beer y reservoir h before admitting the liquid.- l

Means for rotating the machines, for regun lating the position o the bottle-holders 6 according to the size of the bottles to be used But. as' soon as the pressure in the bottle reaches ap'-` vauditar r the'bottle'into the filling position, and lowg them when filled, are

sho 1in Fi 1, but they.ma be of any, other suitab arrangement wit out departing from our invention. Y.

-The action oi the above described appan 4ratus is as fellows:en' the empty bottle a (for example) is laced in osition tofbe lled, as shown on t e left han 'of Fig. 1, the

"diierentially acting beer valve j and the port a: in the lcasingfor shell t of the central plug cock are in the closed position, and 'as the' an india .rubber or other pad or plug 9 thus I making a more or less as-tightl joint be tween. the bottle neck an the delivery part of the machine gi. The continued rotation l of the machine brings the port :c in t e casing lor shell t of the central plug or cock opposite the passage w' in the stationary plug s, and pressure is thereby admitted by the flexible connection 1*, hollow valve stemlc, 4pressure tube t, and nozzle c, into the bottle a. As soon as the ressure in the-bottle a reaches approximate y that of the beer-reservoirh, it acts upon the lower side of the piston or plunger f throu 'h the annular s ace 22 between the exterior'of the beer tu e d and the wall of the central hole in the bottom of the cylindrical chamber g and the said vpiston or plu er together with the pressure tube b and er tube d are therebyraised, lifting the valve from its seat, and allowing beer to flow into the bottle durin the continued rotation of the machine w 'le the gas or air under pressure which has been admitted to the bottlecan ilow through the pressure tube valve stem k and non-return valve 11 into the 'beer reservoir h, The continued rotation of the machine meanwhile also effects the closin of communication between the port :c in t e casing, and the passage w in the plug s of the central cock. The beer continues to flow into the bottle a until its level 'reaches a point in the neck of the bottle at thelevel ofthe passage c. The bottle then passes under 'the 'statlonary cam surface n which acts upon the roller m and forces the valve stem k and valve y' together with the pressure. and beer tubes downward, closing communication between the beer-reservoir' Before the bottle a' h and the bottle a. reaches the point at which it is to be removed from the machine, the port a: in the casing or shell t is brought opposite the passage 12 (Fig. 2) in the plug s of the central cock,

opening communication for an instant between the bottle a, and the atmosphere, whereby the pressure in the neck of the bot- ,tle a is momentarily relieved, and .thc beer remaining in the passages below the valve y' fiows into the bottle and at the same-time the non-return valve 1,1 1s closed thus .preventing the gas under pressure 1n thebeer reservoir from having access to the pressure tube b, The continued rotation of the machine brings the roller 8 of the bottle holder 6 on the lowermost portion of the stationary cam surface 7, whereby the joint between the neck of the 'bottle and the pad or lug 9 is broken, and the bottle may then e removed from the machine, and corked or stopper-ed in the usual manner.

ln the modilication illustrated on the left hand side of Fig. 1 and to an enlarged scale in Fig. 3, it will be seen that a rigid connec-A tion 1J is substituted for the flexible connection 1', and pressure is admitted from the central cock to the bottle a, through a passage 1() in the body of the beer reservoir and passage 23 in the casing of the cylindrical chamber g. The assagesi 1() and 23,#the

. connection 11 and t e port and passage 12 also serve as a communication wlth the atmosphere when the said port x and passage l2 are in communication. 1

ln Fig. 3 itwill be seen that the beer tube l d'oes not rise and fall with the 4iston'or plunger f as in Fi 2, but is secure into the bottom of the cyhndrical chamber g and that the pressure tube b extends into the hollow valve stem-lr and is adj ustably secured thereto in a liquid-tight manner at 24, while the nozzle sliding on the iixed beer tube d, is secured to its 'lower end. Pressure is admitted into the bottle from the passage :c in the shell I f'o the central cock into the ixed connection 1", through the assages 10, 23, and, the annular s ace 22 etween the exterior of the beer tu e d and the Wall of the central hole in the bottom of the cylindrical chamber g. It will be understood that the pressure tube b in this case acts only as a means of communication between the bottle and the hollow valve spindle k which contains the non-return valve 11 which is normallyl kept closed by the pressure in the upper part of the beer reservoir L actingl upon the up er side of the said valve 11 through the ho e 19 and thereby preventing* loss ofpressure'in the reservoir h when there is no bottle in position or whena bottle breaks, or is faulty. When beer or the like is admitted to the bottle the gas or air und er pressure fiows from the 'bottle through the annular s ace between the beer and pressure tubes t us causing the plston to Vrise which carries with it the differentially actlng valve j and the pressure tube b, and as the bottle lills with beer or the like the gas or air underV ressure in the bottle is 4able to flow throng the pressure tube b, valve stem 7c and non-return valve 11 into the. beer reservoi-r. lf desired the non-return valve shown iirlig. 2 or other non-return valve'may be use In Fig. 4 thebeer tube d is situated within the pressure tube b, the beer'jentering the bott e from the reservoir h by the assages 24, 2() 1l and a central hole 25 in t e lower part oi the xgisten or plunger, and the gas or air under .p ssure entering by the passage 23 and the tube d either from the upper part of the beer reservoir z. or from a separate gas or airsupply according to the position of kthe su )plementary plug of the cock 15.

4n Figs. 4, 5 and 6 the radial assages 1 are formed 1n the cover 13 of the' eer reservoir h; and the non-return valve 1L-is seated -in a recess in the top of such cover as shown clearly in Fig. 6. This valve 11 While allowing any excessive pressure in the bottle to escape by the assage 14 (see Fig. 6) into the l upper part of t e beer reservoir h, will also be held on to its seat by the pressure in such beer reservoir h and prevent the escape of pressure therefrom when no bottle is in` position, or when a bottlebreaks, or is faulty. In Fig. 4 the casing'or shell t oi' the central cock is also formed in the cover 13 of the beer reservoir h, and this figurel also illustrates how the pressure in the said reservoir may if ldesired be utilized for charging the bottle and ultimately opening the differentially acting beer valve j. For this purpose the fixed plug s of the centralcock is provided-with a supplementary cock 15 the plug of which vwhen turned into the position shown in Fig.

'4 establishes communication (by means of the A shaped passage 1 6) between the passages uand 17 inthe plug s 0f the main central cock. It will also be seen that when the plug of the supplementary cock 15 is turned into the position shown in Fig. 7 the beer reservoir h is brought into communication. with the compressed air or gas supply u by means 0i' thel straight passage 18, and when turned into the position shown in Fig. 8 the passages fu fw 1l et cetera are brought into communication with the compressed air or gas supply u by lmeans of the A shaped passage 16 and the machine will then work as described with reference to Figs. 1, 2 and 3. The momentary communication between the bottle and the atmosphere is accomplished at the desired moment in the manner described with reference to Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

We would have it understood thatwe do not limit ourselves to the `precise details as hereinbe'l'ore described as they may be varied without departing from our invention. It will be 'obvious that if itis desired to create a vacuum in the bottle or other vessel before, chargin 'f the saine, further passages may be formed lnthe plug sof the central cock and. the said passages connected with any convenient form oi' vacuum apparatus. be obviousl that with suitable modifications this invent-ion may be employed for illing other vessels than bottles, and with other liquids thairbeer, such for example, as mineral watersand the like.

It will also Claims. 0 1. In a bottling machine, the combmation with a liquid reservoir, and means for creating a counter-pressure in the bottle before the ing a counter-pressure in the bottle before the liquid is admitted thereto, ali uid reservoir h, a cylindrical chamber g, a lfierentlal valve j, in` said chamber, a pressure tube b and a liquid tube d, substantially as4 described.

3. In a bottling machinel in which a counter-` ress ure is created inl the bottle beforethe 'quid is admitted thereto, the combination with a differential valve y', for admitting the li uid to the bottle, of means for closing the sai valve, which consist of a fixed r bracket o, a cam surface n, a spring Aand a roller m on the upper end of thespm le k of the Wvalve,substandaially as described.

l 4.111 a` bottling machine in which a m counterressure is created in the bottle bcfore the i uid isadmitted thereto, a central cock t fixe upon the liquid reservoir It, a plug s in tHe said cock' held against rotation, passages u, c, w, in the said plug the said cock and passages leading therefrom to the bottle, substantially Ias described, andlfor the purpose set forth.

5. In a bottling machine in which a fore the iquid is admitted thereto, in combination a central cock t fixed upon the liquid reservoir h, a plug s in the said cock, held a ainst rotation, passages u, v, w, in the said tubevr, a passage through the stem c and valve j, and a pressure tube b leading to the interior of the bottle, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

names to this specification in the.presence of two lsubscribing Witnesses.

RALPHWALD@ WEBSTER.

Lame CHEW. I

Witnesses: v

STEPHEN EDWARD GUNYON, WILLIAM ANDERSON SMITH.

passages m in counterressure is created in the bottle bc- 40 p ug, passages n: 1n the said cock, a flexible 45 In testimony whereof We have signed our 

